The Diner From ‘Goodfellas’ Was Destroyed In a Fire

A New York institution and the location of one of the most famous movie scenes of the 1990s is gone. According to the New York Post, the diner from Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas (known, weirdly enough, as the GoodFellas Diner) was destroyed in a fire this week.

A fire broke out inside a Queens diner featured in iconic mobster movie “Goodfellas” Monday — and it wasn’t clear what started the blaze, officials said. The flames erupted at Goodfellas Diner in Maspeth at around 4:30 pm. prompting a response from more than 60 firefighters, according to police.

At this point it is unclear was caused the blaze.

The diner is home to a classic scene in GoodFellas, when Robert De Niro’s Jimmy the Gent talks to Ray Liotta’s Henry Hill about the latter’s impending court case and tries to determine whether he’s going to rat him out to the cops. While they chat, Scorsese cuts to a profile two-shot, and there is a disorienting moment when the camera pulls back and zooms in at the same time, creating the illusion that the actors are still but the background is moving. The effect underscores Henry’s growing paranoia and the fact that his relationship with Jimmy is about to change forever.

I’m sad for anyone who’s livelihood was upended by this unfortunate incident. And I’m also very annoyed I never thought to go to the GoodFellas diner while it was still around. I would have liked to sit in that booth and order a tuna melt.